Kurt Müller from a group photo taken in August 1916 where he is seated middle of the front line
Kurt Müller from a group photo taken in August 1916 where he is seated
middle of the front line
He can be found in the 1911 census as a 20 year old clerk in 'fancy goods' lodging along with another German clerk in the same line of busines with a family in Holloway Road North London. On his arrest in early October 1914 was noted as aged 24, born Zeitz, giving an address.47 Wray Crescent, Tollington Park in North London which in 1911 was the address of William John Smith, a builder with a large family many also working in the building trade - it would seem that there was a family relationship between the 1911 family and this 1914 address - whether Muller was in London between 1911 and 1914 is not known. After his arrest he spent some time in Police cells until internment at Olympia from where on the 22nd November he was taken to the HMT Royal Edward moored off Southend on Sea where he was given camp number 645 - he remained interned on board this boat until his transfer to Alexandra Palace in July 1915.
 Royal Edward later Hired Military Transport |
 His bunk on the Royal Edward |
The Royal Edward was built in Glasgow in 1908 and intended for the Canadian northern service, it was the largest of the three Cunard ships requisitioned by the Admiralty as Transport ships (the others being the Saxonia and the Ivernia)- Muller's water-colour of his bunk shows what was probably his most comfortable bed in his 4½ years of internment. The Royal Edward had 3 classes of cabins and internees could pay extra for the better classes. Presumably the transfer of the internees from the Royal Edward was to allow it to begin its intended role as a troop carrier. It left on the 28th July destined for the Gallipoli campaign via the Aegean where, without any escort ship, on the 13/14th August 1915 it was torpedoed by UB14 and sunk with loss of some 1000 men.
 Room in Alexandra Palace |
 Water-colour of room in Alexandra Palace |
In Alexandra Palace he was given camp number 3908 in Battalion C, 3 Company 2 Corps - his sketches of his room shared with many others indicate its significant difference from his comfortable bunk on the Royal Edward. His stay in Alexandra Palace with its fine views over London and also views of the Zeppelin attacks over London of which he has left a preliminary sketch, lasted until July 1916 when on the 12/13th July he along with many others were transferred with little notice to Knockaloe via an overnight crossing from Liverpool.
At Knockaloe he was given Knockaloe Camp number 26298 occupying hut 4b in Camp II compound 5 - there is a photograph of him with several, named, companions taken outside the cookhouse in the compound.
 Interior of Hut 4b |
 |
The archive includes a pen and ink drawing of the interior of hut 4b- there is a name on the box under the table bottom rh corner of 641 Kipper, possibly by Ewald Kipper an internee who drew some cartoons in the camp newspaper - not I think Muller's work as the style is very different as he seems to avoid including people in his work, though he did leave some pen and ink sketches of vessels seen at Southend, it is also missing his characteristic KM within a circle signature, this form of mark is similar to those used by cabinet makers to mark their work.
View looking over Camp IV to Camp II and over to Peel
His archive contains several views of the camp, usually drawn from the rising ground to the South West of Camp IV. He copied out from Mates Guide some of the section dealing with Manx history especially that dealing with Peel and St John's (Tynwald Hill) the position of which he indicates on some of the views.
He remained at Knockaloe until a few days prior to the closure of this camp when he was transferred on the 24th January 1919 to Ripon camp - he had a bag containing shirts, socks etc. lost, along with the luggage of many other internees, by tumbling off the overloaded wagons from Ripon station to the camp. He acquired yet another camp number -this time 2057 but was soon repatriated which occurred by the 17th February 1919 - his future address given on his complaint to the Ripon Camp Commandant was Zeitz, Germig, Bergstrassse 3 - Zeitz landed in East Germany post WW2 There is an envelope dated 3.4.1916 addressed to him in Alexandra Palace from an Irta Zügchor from that address.
After his return to Germany he eventually ran a wholesale wood business in Hamburg-Rissen (an older town west of Hamburg incorporated into the city in 1929)
He left a small archive of sketches and drawings - some by himself together with a few by other internees - which was later sold by one of his grandchildren and is now in my possession - I suspect he was married post return to Germany as no wife is indicated, though one of his illustrations is that of a flower from his mother.
|
|
||
|
|
see Reports of visit |
|
|
||
| Any comments, errors or omissions gratefully received The
Editor HTML Transcription © F.Coakley , 2018 |
||